In Brief

The biosensor market is seeing tremendous growth, partly due to the aging population and the increasing number of people with diabetes and other chronic diseases that require constant monitoring.  The market was valued at $15.6 billion in 2016 and is set to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 7.9 percent through 2020. Recent numbers put the market at $26 billion by 2022. The rising need for miniature diagnostic and monitoring devices is driving the need for advancements in materials. One of these advancements was recently created by Michigan State University Researchers (MSU). Their teams created multilayer protein polymer films by mixing dendrimers (tree-like polymers) and proteins to spontaneously produce multilayer films. How will this material be used to build more effective biosensors?

In Brief

The single-use bioreactor market generated $202.5 million last year and researchers estimate it will see another 18.4 percent increase in 2019, reaching $470.9 million. Sixty-six percent of pharmaceutical companies are now preferring this disposable product. What are the advantages of single-use bioreactor bags?

In Brief

The ASTM (formerly the American Society for Testing Materials, currently ASTM International) is an organization that develops and publishes consensus technical standards for a broad range of materials, products, services, and systems. Today over 12,000 ASTM standards operate globally, helping to improve millions of lives every day. 

In Brief

Transient electronics, also known as biodegradable electronics, is an emerging technology being explored across many fields and for various applications. When used in healthcare, biodegradable materials incorporated into medical devices could be valuable for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Some of the potential operations include monitoring intracranial pressure, assisting wound healing processes, identifying neural networks, and more.

In Brief

Considerations for developing a new drug delivery platform include ease of use (self-administration, convenient to swallow), route of administration (oral, transdermal, injectable, etc.), and accurate dosage. An innovative alternative approach to conventional dosage forms is a novel drug delivery tool known as thin films.